Baking it big with Great Harvest Bakery

From their kitchen to the world

Baking it big with Great Harvest Bakery is as simple as it sounds. The founders Pete and Laura Wakeman started baking back in the 1970s to pay their tuition fee. They baked the most amazing made from scratch grain bread from the wheat in the local market. As newlyweds, they hiked in Montana and in 1976, opened the first Great Harvest Bakery in Great Falls, MT.

Word spread about their wonderful dough and fresh ingredients. Soon in 1978, the “Freedom Franchise” was born with the opening of a second Great Harvest in Kalispell, MT. They soon grew into the nation’s first family of independently-owned and operated whole-grain bread bakeries and cafes

Over the last 4 decades, Great Harvest’s system-wide sales have grown to exceed $100 million annually, with 194 Great Harvest locations in the United States across 45 states.

Fresh, simple and delicious food

Now 40 years later, it has grown into more than just fresh-baked bread. A place where you can sit down and enjoy a freshly made sandwich. Customers can try any bread baked that day and order their sandwiches with the bread of their choice, which makes their sandwiches fresh and unlike anything they have ever had.

Great Harvest Bread Co. now serves a mix of breakfast sandwiches, café beverages, goodies, artisan breads, hot and cold sandwiches, salads, soups, and grain bowls that go way beyond our expectations.

Community centered commitment

All their bakery-cafes are centered around the communities they serve and are strengthened by their commitment to generosity. They do not have a mandated design, each is a version of Great Harvest that reflects the owner and the local community. In a nutshell, the Great Harvest Franchise offers the security of a proven business model while still leaving room for franchisees to make their business their own. Their culture is driven by its unique “Freedom Franchising” model.

Click here for more information on their franchise opportunities.